Sam Tannahill - A to Z Wineworks

Apr 17, 2015

When my family and partners chose to start A to Z Wineworks in Dundee, we knew we were choosing to invest in a special place. Oregon’s spirit of innovation, collaboration, hard work and healthy environment makes producing exceptional wines possible. We’re proud of this and market our wine as capturing the “The Essence of Oregon” in every bottle.

But that essence is exactly what is at risk if we don’t address climate change. Oregon’s renowned Pinot Noir wine – which makes up 60 percent of Oregon wine production and fully 70 percent of wine sales – is extremely temperature sensitive. Climate change will not only raise temperatures, but also bring more volatile weather, putting our industry at risk. We’re already experiencing hotter summer temperatures in our vineyard.

For our part, we’ve taken measures to reduce our own carbon footprint and it’s part of why we became North America’s only certified B Corp winery. We believe we need to enact state-level policy for clean energy. This is good for Oregon wineries and other important climate-sensitive industries like fisheries, forestry, skiing and agriculture and for everyone who lives here. We simply can’t afford not to act. Let's keep the "essence of Oregon" alive and well in our beloved state.